Haunted Heroes
by Enna York
Summary: Nadya was only in Russia to take photos, her friend from university Sasha was letting her stay with him and was the one to get her into the Metro. But once the doors close the rules of life change, Nadya finds herself first becoming a soldier and then a stalker as she'd forced onto a path of fighting for survival with humans and beasts.


Nadya ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her boots pounding harshly on the ash fault. Her chest was burning she was struggling to breathe, it felt as though a heavy weight was strapped to her chest making it impossible to fill her lungs. Her throat felt constricted and dry, as if glass was forcefully shoved down with each inhale and each exhale released a large white cloud in front of her face. Her heart was pounding, the beats thrumming in her ears nearly making her deaf to all the chaos around her.

Her eyes were wet and tears streamed down her cheeks that were stained bright red in the cold as she sprinted. She'd always been good at running, she ran track for years in school, which assured her that she'd make it to her goal that was growing ever closer. But she was crying because she knew not everyone around her would make it. Out of the enormous swelling crowd that was racing around her like a crashing tsunami only a fraction of them would get to the metro. The chances of herself getting there were slim but there was a certainty in her heart that she'd make it as she pumped her arms and legs to their maximum speed.

She'd never run so fast in her life, not even in her biggest competitions but she knew it was because the situations were so drastically different. Her heavy winter boots crunched in the frost and ice on the ground under foot and she could only pray that her boots wouldn't skid out from under her on the dangerous terrain. Her turquoise scarf-a gift for her trip was whipping madly behind her, her camera swinging wildly around her neck.

"Sasha!" she screamed out desperately searching through the crowd for her friend panicking that she had lost him in all the chaos, "Sasha!" she yelled again straining above the frantic cries all around her.

He suddenly appeared in front of her in the wild crowd, his blonde hair whipping madly as he ran. He glanced over his shoulder with his piercing ice blue eyes. He slowed only enough for Nadya to catch up. He snatched her elbow roughly, "Hurry up." He growled in English for her sake, he began to pick up his pace and Nadya picked hers up as well.

Suddenly the metro station loomed up over them, they were one of the lucky few who had made it, they sprinted headlong into the building the soldiers waving them through only to crash into tightly packed bodies almost immediately next to the doors. People were backed up because only so many could rush down the escalators and through the pressurized gates at a time. Sasha violently pushed and shoved those in front of them barking harshly in Russian, very little was familiar to Nadya's ears but she got the gist of what he was screaming, "Move it or we'll all die, hurry so they can close the doors you idiots! Bastards I got here, I deserve to live so move!" he couldn't hold back his emotions running rampant and he didn't know which one to feel or express and so expressed them all at once.

Nadya tried her best to push through the throng but it was still too tightly packed. She turned to face the street, people were still trying to run to get inside of the building desperately but the soldiers were only letting some through now shoving away elderly, weakened or sickly people. There were others being forced away but Nadya wasn't certain what criteria the guards were using to turn people away.

Sasha had snatched her arm and was gripping it painfully tight as he tried to push the two of them into the mass of bodies that was refusing them passage.

Nadya lifted the camera around her neck putting the view up to her eye-this was perhaps the last chance she had to see the outside world she snapped pictures. But then realised they'd be pointless with the camera she had, it was digital and would require a computer to view or print the pictures. Her hands fumbled with her bag and she withdrew a cheaper camera, more of a novelty item than anything but it was like the old polaroid camera and immediately printed the pictures.

She snapped three pictures in quick succession, one of the buildings and skyline, the second of the street with the desperate horde of people running towards the metro, and the last one of the entire scene with the armed soldiers conducting the madness. Overhead the bomb sirens wailed and protested over all of the commotion made by the people. She put her camera back in her bag and stared at the street while the soldiers wrestled against the people to get the doors to the metro closed.

She stared at the street and watched a desperate mother fleeing with her daughter, they must have fled immediately from their house because unlike Nadya that weren't dressed in heavy winter coats and boots to ward off the cold of the unusually harsh winter. The mother had no shoes her bare feet slapping on the ground as she and her daughter both dressed in light dresses flapping madly around them stumbled and struggled forward. The daughter much slower than her mother being dragged harshly by the elbow.

"Nadya what do you think you are looking at?! We need to get further inside!" Sasha barked at her frustrated at the fact she wasn't helping, this wasn't the greatest time for her to space out like she did often.

Suddenly she used her hand to peel his grip off of her arm, he stared dumbfounded as she pulled away from him and began to dash back outside into danger, "Nadya!" Sasha screamed behind her. But Nadya's eyes were set on the mother and child, the mother having slipped on the ice taking her daughter down with her, the two slamming roughly into the ground.

One of the soldiers was alerted to Sasha's screaming, he was young, practically just out of training. Alexie had yet to see actual combat, he'd been assigned here to the city right out of training which he was thankful of he didn't want to be engaged in the raging war. But it appeared as though now there was nowhere safe to run to get away from the fighting, not even for civilians. He watched the crazy woman break out of the man's grip and dash out towards the mother and child. She was a beautiful looking girl and because of that he reached forwards to try and stop her from running most likely to her death. She pulled away from him and sprinted forwards in a blur-a dizzying speed.

He'd seen her run towards the metro from extremely far up the road, she was amazingly fast then-but now it was unbelievably fast the speed she made. She was at the mother's side trying to pull her up but the mother slapped her away begging to her in Russian. Nadya understood the message plainly, save my child. She grabbed the girl who had to be around eight swinging her right off of the ground burying the girl's face in her shoulder before twisting back around and sprinting back to the metro whose large doors appeared to be starting to close.

Nadya was aware that the girl's mother was running behind her trying to keep up, she stared up at the doors of the metro that were indeed swinging closed. From how fast they were closing it looked like she wouldn't make it in time but there was still that certainty that sprung from some unknown place within her that she would make it there. The child wailed in her arms as she took the steps three at a time, the doors nearly closed as she landed on the platform. There was space for two bodies as she got nearer and nearer. She could see the young brunette soldier that had tried to stop her staring in disbelief as she drew near.

There was just enough space for her to squeeze through if she could just speed up the slightest bit, suddenly the soldier thrust his weapon through the door as if to halt the process. Nadya pushed through the doors clipping her sides and shoulders harshly. It jarred her teeth and rattled her bones, she crashed into the young soldier knocking him to the ground. She groaned in pain under her breath certain she'd have bruises from the whole ordeal tomorrow.

She sat up and turned the doors closing just as the mother of the child had clambered to the top step, she didn't look scared or frightened merely relieved that her child had made it. Suddenly Nadya felt herself circled by guns, she glanced up to see the soldiers manning the doors glaring down at her.

She panted exhausted from her double sprint as she stared up at them, they began to bark and order her in Russian but it was too fast for the foreigner to understand what it was that they were saying. When she didn't respond they grew angrier with her and suddenly two of them had their guns raised and pressed against their shoulder ready to shoot not only her but the child. She grabbed the child and tried to shield her, bracing for the worst when the young soldier jumped to his feet and stood in front of her his hands raised. Alexie stared up at his senior ranking officers, his heart beating wildly in his chest. After witnessing that girl risk her life for that child he wasn't just going to let the two of them die-would that really be the last act of humanity before they were sealed forever in the metro? Shooting a young woman for saving a child, "It is alright." Alexie stated, "She was in the metro before we started closing-she should stay."

He swallowed nervously unsure of how his superiors would take it, his captain stared him down severely and looked back at the girl nodding his head, "Is it true what he said?" he asked her, but the girl stared at him a confused look plastered on her face and she remained mute. Alexie's stomach dropped in that instant, he felt the floor being yanked out from under him-why wasn't she answering he was so confused.

"She is with me, she doesn't speak." A blonde young man said stepping forwards from the crowd, "It is true she was in before the doors started to close but she insisted on saving the small girl." He added.

Alexie's captain snorted and grumbled something unintelligible, "Weapons down." He ordered his men waving his hand at the weapons to be lowered away, at which point they were quickly pulled back. He stared down at the foolish young girl that risked her life for a child, he marched up to her and paused for a second to loom over her. She stared up at him colour draining from her face from fear but trying to hold a brave face before him. He slapped her curtly and harshly, her head snapping to the side. He then turned towards the blonde man. "Control her better there will be no more actions like this tolerated from now on." He barked, watching the young man nod his head quickly.

Alexie glanced down at the young woman who pulled away from the little girl helping her to her feet. He walked over and offered his hand out to her, he wanted to say something but wasn't sure of what to say and if she would understand it anyways. He coughed in embarrassment as he felt a light blush spread across his cheeks.

Sasha frowned regarding the young soldier who was blushing, Nadya was simply an average girl- pretty but for the most part average. But for whatever reason she had a pension for attracting strange men. Nadya took his hand and let him help pull her to her feet.

She regarded him, boyish features, his nose and cheeks pink form being nipped by the cold. He breathed heavily still getting over what had just happened but he smiled at her eagerly, "Thankyou so ever much for helping me-and I am so sorry for crashing into you." She stated in English, she didn't know if he spoke English but couldn't contain herself she was simply so grateful for being rescued that she just had to say it. She hoped her tone and expression would be enough to convey what she wanted to say if he didn't understand her words.

Alexie nodded his head happily understanding some of what she had said, "No problem." He answered back in English, he didn't know much and wasn't confident in what he did know, and was certain he had a very heavy accent but he just wanted to say thank you as well.

The blonde man that had stood up for the woman put a possessive hand on her shoulder, "Yes thank you." He stated politely in Russian but with an undertone that clearly stated to back away to Alexie who felt intimidated. He stared up at the blonde with the piercing gaze and a chill ran down his spine.

Alexie smiled and laughed weakly, "You are very welcome." he answered, "It was nice to meet you." He added, the girl smiled a pink blush spreading on her cheeks and she nodded her head as the man dragged her away shoving through the crowd and taking her with him. They quickly disappeared into the mass of bodies and Alexie was left to guard the doors.

They had strict orders to close and lock the doors long before the bombs dropped to prevent them being opened and too many people crowding into the metro, as well as the fact that it wasn't certain if the doors would hold in the blast and in that case they'd want to be as far away as possible. Alexie stared up at the doors, it made him uneasy as they pushed away those deemed 'unfit' to survive but orders were orders, and they were meant to preserve the human race. He straightened his back up and confidently held his gun in his hands.

Sasha angrily pushed through the crowd, "Do you realise how frightened I was?! Do you realise what you did?! You almost died Nadya! You were lucky they didn't shoot you! I promised your mother I would keep you safe!" he ranted in English as he dragged Nadya behind him, he threw an angry glance over his shoulder as they finally got onto the escalator, "Are you even listening to me?!" he exclaimed loud enough that he was frightening the people around him.

Nadya meanwhile had been frantically searching the crowd for the small girl who'd seemingly ran off, her head was swivelling as she examined every face trying to find her. But as she thought back on it the girl had run off on her own away from Nadya leaving her baffled as to whether she wanted to be found or not. She felt a yank on her arm and registered Sasha yelling at her.

"Nadya what the hell!" he screamed in her face, "This isn't some fun little excursion on your vacation! We almost died! It is the apocalypse!"

"I was just looking for the little girl." Nadya replied in a quiet voice feeling childish.

Sasha yanked her arm harshly and raised his hand to strike her but stopped himself from doing so as he watched Nadya flinch, "You need to listen better, you almost died today." He growled turning back stepping down the escalator, Nadya followed after him obediently which made him relax.

It took some time but they finally managed to make it down to the platform-here there was finally space bodies weren't roughly packed together. It had taken forever to get down the escalator, once stepping on the top step even though the steps were moving they appeared to be going nowhere. Sasha still ever impatient shoved them through the tightly packed bodies on the escalator and plowed his way down to the bottom. He then pulled Nadya in front of himself and shoved her through the pressurized gates and the plastic flaps meant to prevent contamination in order to get to the second set of escalators-which although packed were not nearly as packed as the first set. Both Sasha and Nadya took a moment to catch their breaths relieved to have their own personal space. They took in their surroundings, there was a table set up and people were approaching with papers.

"Nadya do you have your passport by any chance with you, you didn't leave it at my house?" Sasha asked her suddenly feeling his stomach drop in fright, Nadya spaced out often and they had been in an awful rush he couldn't remember if she'd grabbed her papers. He could taste bile on his tongue it wouldn't be good if they forgot their papers.

She nodded her head, "Yes I take it with me whenever I leave the house, I thought in case of an emergency-" she started to ramble nervously as she frantically began to search through her bulky bag that was resting at her hip but Sasha was quick to interrupt her.

"Nadya it is an emergency." He said withdrawing his own, flipping quickly through it's contents to ensure everything was in order. As they both withdrew what they needed they approached the table, there was a small old man with large round glasses as thick as Nadya's finger. He was waving people forward and quickly flipping through whatever papers they carried with them, for those who had paper he quickly stamped them, applied a quick wax seal and signed them and for those who didn't he quickly waved them away to the table next to him being run by a young boy who looked extremely over worked and in over his head attempting to direct a growing crowd on how to fill out the documents the government had prepared.

Sasha pressed Nadya forward his hands resting on her shoulders in a manner that made her feel slightly uncomfortable because he was acting so possessively. He and the man began speaking rapidly to one another too fast for her to understand, Nadya wasn't even sure she'd be able to keep up if it were one of the languages she understood. Suddenly the old man happily waved at her and she hesitantly reached her passport out. He took it from her quickly but politely and she watched her own passport be stamped, the wax seal pressed in and him sign and date it all.

He smiled up at her passing it back offering a wink as he did, Sasha stepped forwards passing his own over the process repeated. "He said to go over to the table over there for supplies but to go quickly before they run out." He explained to her as he took his passport back and thanked the man, "You are going to have to learn Russian very quickly Nadya, for the mean time speak as little as possible around people we don't know." He hissed at her.

"Why is that Sasha? What did you say with that man?" Nadya hissed suddenly feeling very frightened by the fact Sasha was glancing around and suddenly whispering.

Sasha's blue eyes meet her brown ones, "He says that non-Russians may not be very welcomed here, they will place blame and persecute you for what is about to happen-not to mention the fact that non-Russians here mean that Russians were left outside." He explained to her, "He at first was going to give you a hard time and put a special mark on your passport for being non-Russian but I said you were my fiancé who was in the process of immigrating here."

Sasha sighed, "The lie may work for a while… but even still it may not be enough. I need you to learn Russian as fast as possible." He finished.

Nadya nodded her head with a serious and solemn expression on her face, "I understand Sasha." She replied under her breath. He offered her one of his rare smiles and ruffled her hair like he did when they first met in school. They made it over to the table were a rather strict looking soldier was standing behind it directing people about curtly and sometimes very rudely.

Nadya approached feeling rather frightened and ready to run, what Sasha had said unsettled her, she glanced around at all the other refugees petrified that they'd suddenly start yelling at her, or god forbid attack her. The soldier ignored her and talked only to Sasha unlike most of the visitors to his table the soldier seemed to like Sasha. He even added extra batteries and a flash light, before passing over a nicer map than the last people to the table, he and Sasha passed a few jokes between one another and the blonde Russian was soon totting Nadya away as he laughed at the last joke.

Author's Rambling Space

I'm well aware of the fact in the book that people went into the metro some time in July, but when I was picturing the horde of people frantically running for their lives I could only picture winter weather-and it's really rare for the apocalypse to happen in winter time in books and movies-it's a fan fiction I can have fun with it! I also know in the book it said that they thought being in the metro would be temporary but let's just say the book didn't say that.

I chose to make Nadya a foreigner since I'm not very familiar with Russia or it's customs so she can act odd, and we'll (as in Nadya and myself) figure it out together, very excited for the research! I thought also that it'd be realistic in these situations that foreigners would get mixed in and have a tougher time getting by since it isn't their home turf; she has to deal with surviving the metro, while learning to blend in and knowing she'll never see her loved ones again.

I've only read the book so far, but my brother is going to be getting a copy of the game soon for us to play together! Yay! Thanks for reading! Have a great night/day/morning/etc.!


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